Wild Horses of the Red Desert

by Glen Rounds

Life can be difficult for the wild horses that make their home in a barren land of high rocky ridges, deep canyons, and dusty sagebrush flats. There the wild horses live, ever alert to the sounds and scents of danger from mountain lions, wolves or wild-horse hunters - through the season of newborn colts, the summer of hot winds that dry up the waterholes, and the winter when deep snow cover the ground. But spring finally comes once again, bringing new colts and green grass.

Glen Rounds' sparse style evokes the life of these wild and vanishing creatures.

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Glen Harold Rounds was a distinguished American writer and illustrator whose career spanned over six decades, during which he wrote and illustrated more than 100 books. Known for his vivid storytelling and masterful illustrations, Rounds garnered over 25 literary awards, cementing his legacy as one of the prominent children's authors and illustrators of his time.
Born in a sod house near Wall, South Dakota, Rounds had a rugged childhood that involved various jobs such as baker, cook, and ranch hand, alongside adventures in the carnival and logging industries. His early years on a Montana ranch provided a rich foundation for the characters and landscapes that would appear in his later works. Rounds was drawn to art from a young age, and after studying painting and drawing at the Kansas City Art Institute and the Art Students League of New York, he spent time touring the Western U.S. with fellow student Jackson Pollock and their teacher, Thomas Hart Benton. It was during this period that Rounds began his lifelong pursuit of illustrating stories.
Rounds’ breakthrough came with Ol' Paul, the Mighty Logger (1936), a collection of Paul Bunyan stories he largely created himself. The book's success launched his career, and he went on to write and illustrate numerous titles, including The Blind Colt (1941) and the Whitey series, which featured a young Montana cowboy. His works often explored themes of the American West, wildlife, and the natural world, with a unique ability to convey both humor and pathos through his illustrations and writing.
Throughout his career, Rounds introduced a variety of beloved characters, including Mr. Yowder, the itinerant sign painter, and his books continued to win critical acclaim. Even in his later years, after arthritis forced him to switch to drawing with his left hand, Rounds remained a prolific creator. His last book, Beavers (1999), was lauded for its informative and succinct prose, paired with illustrations that demonstrated his enduring skill and patience.
Rounds received numerous accolades, including the Kerlan Award (1980) and the North Carolina Award for Literature (1981). He was also inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2002, shortly before his death. His works continue to be celebrated for their captivating illustrations and stories that bring the American landscape and its characters to life.

Reviews

[Dorine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the 2nd printing from 1974. I'm guessing this was one of my sisters' books, since I would have been too old to be interested. I think I was reading Gone with the Wind in 1974. Both sisters were horse-obsessed like me, so it's a good educational book for those interested in wild horses.

I'm betting I read it to one or both of them, even though I don't remember. We all remember Scat, Scat by Sally R. Francis - my mom's favorite that she still has.

What's really fun is that this book was 60 cents in 1974. Wouldn't it be awesome to be able to find children's books at this price again? It's a good one, too, although I don't think my granddaughters have read it yet. Probably because the illustrations aren't as vibrant as they're used to -- they're all about the art and often choose a book because of it.

The drawing on the cover resembles most of the illustrations, except that they're more active dependent on the current activity of the horses. I think it's very creative, utilizing pen and ink with pastels. But I'm partial to pen and ink drawings and haven't explored that with my granddaughters yet, in order for them to appreciate it.

The book explains how the wild horses survive all the seasons and their predators, including man. The illustrations show each predator and how the horses outsmart them. So, even if the child isn't old enough to read, they'll get the drift of the story visually as you read it to them.

A good non-fiction children's book that teaches about rare, wild horses. I hope there will always be some for us to see in person.

[Lulu Cares · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the illustrations! A good teaching of the seasons and cycles of the wild horses in the red desert. I like that the horses consider man one of their enemies.
Thank you Glen Rounds

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

While checking out Glen Rounds' books that have been downloaded to openlibrary.org I came across two seemingly different named books but with the same cover. Normally I would have taken this for meaning that someone had not typed in the whole name in the information but the covers vouch for the two different titles thus I chose to see if I could answer the mystery about whether I was looking at the same book or another.

And the answer is that they are the same book to a degree. The longer titled book was made as an adaptation for Lucky Book Club in 1971 while the second one is basically a reprint of the former from 1993 with a much shortened title. Other differences just based on the cover alone shows that the older book has a much lighter color palette while the horses and are centered for the title while the animals are much darker and made smaller so that more spaced is dedicated to the shorter title plus author. And finally unlike the older book less attention is paid to the details since the lead horse's head has been cut off right before the ears while in the older book you can see the whole animal.

And since the artwork continues on with the back cover if you flip the book over then you will see most definitely that the artwork for the horses upon first exam of the cover is correct. The colors of several of the animals differ yet again although with the older it seems not much thought was given to shading in the horses while the newer book was adding color. And furthermore there is another horse added to the herd by the mare and foal in the newer book.

Another notable consideration is the start of the book with the older book starting: The Red Desert is a dry land with flat plains and high, rocky ridges. Men hardly ever go there. Bands of wild horses make this place their home.

Meanwhile in Wild Horses it starts: The Red Desert is a barren land of high rocky ridges and dusty sagebrush flats, where men seldom go. For the greater part of the year the grass there is dry and sparse and the few waterholes far apart. Life is difficult for the wild horses that make this place their home..

As a result of these noticeable differences I will be differentiating between the two books in this review with an (l) for Lucky and a (w) for the newer version. Meanwhile the actual start of the book is an illustrated title page with one page for Lucky and two for the newer thus again adding more horses to the overall illustration. Unfortunately even for adding more to the illustrations the quality is quite horrible with the horizon line not even meeting up between the two pages and once again the lead horse on the second page is missing part his face.

Moving onto the actual pages of the story the reader finds two ways in that a foal has been born. In (l) the reader learns the season when foals are born, their first lessons, what is important to learn and the personality of a foal. Furthermore both pages are dedicated to the mare and the foal while in (w) only one page is dedicated to the mare and foal alone with providing the season while then going into a herd view where the new addition is inspected by the others. The herd intro in (l) happens on the next page after the foal learns to walk.

In (l) horse-hunters appear and chase the horses. There is a horrible scene of horses falling over a steep wall that can be seen in both books but in (l) it basically explains how a separated mare and foal can re-find the band if not captured. From there it progresses to what other enemies they may have. Meanwhile in (w) while the mare and foal are still separated from the band they are set upon by the same mountain lion but the encounter doesn't go on to the next page like it does in (l). Also unlike (l), the illustration places the mare in a different location as well in this confrontation.

In (w) the reader finds out what good fun waterholes are for young horses while (l) goes from how hard it is to find water and the days between straight onto the time when the young horses are being weaned at the end of summer.

During winter (l) explores what happens when wolves attack the band while (w) doesn't at all include this episode. And finally the story ends with the arrival of spring. In (l) the reader sees the story end almost on the same note that it begins - the waiting for the new arrival of this year's foals while (w) just ends the book on the wild horses losing their winter coats while gaining back the weight they lost over the Spring.

And in one last comparison the newer book ends with a note on the status of wild horse bands past and present, their extermination in most places for dog food by humans and the fact that places such as this "Red Desert" may be their lost stronghold for survival.

I would have to say that it seems both books are abridgments thus I would love to find an original copy to see how it originally was meant to read. Although (w) seems to have the most text and usually also quite more descriptive it seems to lack the additional pages that form up (l). And it was nice to have the note about the wild horses that was included in (w). Illustration-wise (w) keeps with the normal darker color palette that I am used to with Glen Rounds' work with horses but the lack of lining up in the background horizons or the cutting off of faces doesn't help much aesthetically thus making it a hard choice on which book to favor over the other.

In this case I would have to say if you have very young readers the (w) copy may be a bit more attractive just since it is shorter and more detailed but otherwise the reader would be better off reading both books at the same time to get a rounded view if they can find both versions.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was in the class library at one of the elementary school grades I was in. We had to do a book report a week. The teacher chided me for choosing this book as it was "far below your reading level." Silly me -- wanting to read a book because I wanted to and not because it was at my suitable reading level. It's a lovely book about mustangs done in Glenn Rounds' unique shaggy and simply elegant way.

[Shayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is all about horses and how they live in the Red Desert. What dangers they face, and where they go.
I like this book because the illustrations look like cavemen drew them. It is so creative! The story is very informational about horses and how they live in the Red Desert.
I would share this book with my children because it is a great representation of simple things teaching children great messages.

[Cws]

JENF-Rou

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book from my childhood that my mother was getting rid of; so I grabbed it and absorbed it into my own library. :D

Lovely illustrations are in this book about wild mustangs.